You might know Chris Pratt from NBC’s hit comedy, Parks and Recreation, as shoe-shining extraordinaire slash undercover, and make believe, FBI agent Andy Dwyer but get ready to know him in a whole new capacity as he has snagged the lead role for Marvel‘s Guardians of the Galaxy.Pratt will assume the role of Peter Quill, or Star-Lord, the leader of the Guardians. Since this feature is more focused on a team of heroes, a la Avengers, rather than a one-off character, a la Iron Man, except to see the cast fill out quite a bit.
The casting of Pratt, whose got a keen sense for comedy relief, seems to suggest that Marvel will try and go more the Tony Stark route with this intergalactic ensemble of superheros, a risky maneuver that seems likely to pay off.
Although Pratt’s no stranger to the big screen, this will definitely be his most forward and high profile Hollywood role. Up to this point Pratt’s expertise outside of the prime-time television realm seems to be having small roles in acclaimed films. He recently had a bit part in Zero Dark Thirty as a member of the Navy SEAL team and also played a resurrected ball player in last year’s Moneyball.
Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy will be part of Marvel’s Phase Two and will deal with a group of space warriors who eventually are set to team up with the Avengers. Considering that one of the Guardian members is a gun wielding talking raccoon named Rocket Raccoon, you can see why this property is a tad on the risky side.
Seeing that Pratt has proved to be diverse in his roles, juggling comedy, drama and action, and has a built in fan base with men and women alike for Parks and Recs, his casting seems like a really smart move on Marvel’s part. What do you think? Can Chris Pratt be your hero…baby?
